Improved color purity in nano-size Eu3+-doped YBO3 red phosphor

Nano-size YBO3:Eu3+ phosphor has been synthesized by the co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirmed the formation of hexagonal vaterite-type structures of YBO3:Eu3+ nanoparticles. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study revealed the formation of spherical YBO3:Eu3+ nanoparticles with size 20–40 nm. The photoluminescence spectra revealed that the ratio of the red emission (5D0–7F2) to the orange emission (5D0–7F1) was much higher in the synthesized nano-size YBO3:Eu3+ phosphor. The improved relative intensity, i.e., higher R/O value of emission peaks, is due to a lower symmetry of crystal field around Eu3+ ions.